[cathvash]

Hi everyone! I am trying to check-in on a couple of different forums, so apologies if you see this thread elsewhere. I am safely home with my new son Erik, an active 18 month old adopted from Nakhodka in the Primorsky Krai region (Vladivostok). I had court on May 18th and was granted custody the following Monday! After a few days alone with Erik, I was joined by my daughter Alex (adopted same region 3 years ago), escorted to Russia by my boyfriend Mark. Because there are so many of you waiting (and grasping for news), and others being contacted by their agencies with an option of using an “independent process” (and I was the first from my agency to travel using this process), I want to share some info that might be of interest.

*Independent process: The “independent process” turned out to be a very good option in this region. I saw absolutely no decrease in the level of service I received from my agency. The “independent” tag seems to be a formality, and everyone knows the players are the same. In court, you simply state the name of the facilitator instead of the name of the agency as your representative. This is picking up steam in this region, and I hope that other regions who have not been staunchly “anti-independent” will start offering this more if accreditations continue to be stalled. The Russian agency folks had NO IDEA why accreditations are still stalled. They still believe it is coming –just in the “Russian” timeframe.

*The numbers: Only one other family was at the hotel (the most popular for families in the region) the first week. I was the ONLY person in Nakhodka while I stayed there for several nights. Things were SLOW. However, I was ahead of the curve – By the end of my stay, there were at least 8-9 other families at the hotel! (They were all great!…Hi to those of you still there this week.) This is one region where things are picking up, and I hope it is reflective of other regions as well. Time between visits is running around 12 weeks. I have heard that travel and court dates may take longer as people are switching to this region from others and more people are waiting to be matched and placed on the docket.

*Girls: Several PAPs did report seeing fewer infant/toddler girls than previously, so there seems to be some evidence to support that the girls are being placed quickly. HOWEVER, there were at least 2 couples who were there adopting toddler girls, and one older girl was there as well. The girls are fewer but not gone!

*Custody/10 day waivers: No one in this region received waivers for the 10 day appeal period. However, surprisingly, most DID receive custody following court. Almost all of the families at the hotel had kids in tow. Depending on the home, a few did not get custody. I think there may be some crowding issues that are causing more children to be released early, but I did not personally see any evidence of crowded conditions.

Adoptions by Russians: The new law encouraging Russians to adopt is reported to be seeing widely variable success. In one town in the region (Ussurisk) there have been dramatic increases, but other homes in other towns are seeing insignificant increases.

Travel with previously adopted child: This was such a special trip for us all and I am SO GLAD I brought my daughter. I had the usual fears, and this compounded by the fact she was coming over with a man who is not my husband. No problem either in or out. Note of interest: Though I prepared legal forms for bf, he says that NO ONE ever even questioned him about why he was escorting a 5-year-old with a different last name and passport from a different country from the States and through 3 countries. This in the week the girl disappeared in Portugal. Scary, huh?!

New Embassy 2-day processing: The embassy will now take 2 days to process paperwork. This is being waived for people currently in-country.

Misc.: Vladivostok has modernized and changed quite a bit in the 3 years since I was there… Lots of luxury homes and highrises going up. Still infrastructure problems-pollution, trash, water, poverty, road conditions…In a few years it could look like San Francisco! I was able to locate my old family homestead (Ussurisk) built in the mid-1800s!– now surrounded by newer shabby houses, and itself divided into four apartments. How special to see it and feel the presence of my grandparents and great-grandparents! I visited the local museum, and the lady was so excited that she took a picture of me! Roots and branches all in one trip… I hope this was helpful and that all who wait will soon be moving along!